Why I build saunas

I worked for a decade in startups. Finance, mental health, and a handful of other business cards. The last startup I participated in as a founder, after inventing a unique meditation/sensory deprivation chamber. It began as a spiritual journey, turned into an art project, turned into a business, turned into a meditation training tool for the military. A heart-led pursuit of tools for quieting existential angst. I nearly lost my mind and my life in the process, but I’m still here now, today. Building saunas. A continuation of the spiritual journey. This time sharing the richness of the sauna tradition of my Finnish heritage. Swinging a hammer. If Jesus was Finnish he’d be a sauna builder too.
The challenges of our time are not food, shelter and clothing. They are anxiety, depression and existential angst. Distraction is currently the most popular treatment. And the Market delivers.
Sauna is an old tradition. It was a place for birth and death in Finland. And a daily practice in between. It is a spiritual practice. When you approach sauna with honor, appreciation and curiosity you will find its benefits both faithful and surprising. So much is made of what you think or perceive, but in the sauna all you need do is subject your body to heat and cold and the work will be done- no matter the correctness of your thinking or opinion of it. It benefits the practitioner, not the believer.
I feel like I’m building little Finnish temples everywhere I go. Spreading an ancient, honored tradition… something practiced for hundreds of years waning and gaining in popularity over time. What is it comprised of? Rocks, heat, water. Or basically: earth, fire, water—> Steam. A Finnish word describes it: Löyly- meaning roughly “the Spirit of the Steam”. Finns are mystical about that shit. A sauna without water on the rocks is lifeless… breathless. But a good proper sauna gives life to the spirit- becoming a sanctuary honorable enough for the Mystical to become present.
That's why I’m building saunas. And because it has a real ‘chop wood carry water’ zen-of-sauna-building nature to it. It's a very meaningful connection to my Finnish heritage, a way to share the practice with a quality of craftsmanship honorable to the tradition. Very rewarding to share & spread this incredible ritual.
-Kaleb Matson

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